One More Time
by edwardandbella22
Summary: Bella, a successful businesswoman working at New York Times Newspaper, is sent to Europe with her two best friends to report on European attractions and meets Edward. Will they fall in love in a strange country? Canon pairings, course. Read&Review!
1. Chapter 1

_Author's Note: Hi! Sorry to have so many stories going, but inspiration hit me VERY hard--and I know that this one will be good. First off, I would like to tell you that I am taking a break from the rest of my stories--sorry for the inconvenience. Once inspiration hits, it pretty much decks you in the face. Thought I may as well accept that decking! Okay, that was uncalled for...lol..._

_BPOV_

Slowly, I took small, soundless steps in the quiet creek. I held my breath, as if one simple exhale would reveal me. With my Nikon in hand, I flipped a couple switches and zoomed in as far as my expensive, state-of-the art camera allowed. Click! Click! The nearly inaudible noise did not echo through the wet, muddy woods, thankfully. I snapped some more pictures of the small family of otters roughly twenty yards from my camera lens. I was sure they would hear me soon, so I snapped more photos at the speed of light; After all, I wanted this article to be front-page news.

Monday through Friday, I worked as a writer and photographer at the New York Times. It was practically my dream job, writing and taking photos were my two favorite things. My assignment this week was to write an interesting, unique article involving animals. If it was exquisite, it would be on the front page, as many of my articles had been before. The main thing was that a new restaraunt, Eclipse, was planning to open write in the very creek I was taking photos in. The point of my article was to save the otters that would have to find a new home to live in and save the environment of trees and plants nearby.

I shook out of my thoughts and moved very slowly to a new location. The light shone through the tall, leafy trees and onto the glistening fur of a baby otter recently born. The New York sunlight danced along the stream closeby, creating a photographer's dream. I snapped some more shots. I frowned at thinking that these beautiful, innocent animals would soon be kicked out of their home. Assuming my article didn't persuade the owner of Eclipse not to place their restaraunt in this particular woodsy area. I lifted my camera to take one last shot when the sun was just right, and...

_When you see my face _

_Hope it gives you hell_

_Hope it gives you hell_

_When you walk my way_

_Hope it gives you hell_

_Hope it gives you hell_

The sound of my ringtone blared through my black pea coat pocket. Before I knew it, the otters were scurrying down the stream, the stream they would soon be kicked out of if I couldn't help it. I sighed and picked up my black iPhone to check the caller that dared interrupt my most recent assignment from my boss, Angela. It was Rosalie, one of my best friends who also worked at New York Times. Rosalie, me, and our other best friend Alice had been inseparable all through High School, College, and now work. Fresh out of college, we all applied for jobs at the New York Times, and soon we were all accepted, though in very different sections. I took most of the photos for exciting events, wrote the articles for said events, and did ninety percent of my articles and pictures in the travel section. Writing and photography were my two favorite things, which made my job very fun.

Alice was the head advice columnist, and very good at it. She was small, with short black hair in spikes, and very, very fashionable, energetic, and beautiful. In the beginning, her advising was limited to two questions per issue, only because she was knew, but as she became better and better at her advising, she had nearly an entire page of advice. She was absolutely perfect for her job, not only because she was very smart, but because she had given Rosalie and I plenty of advice from time to time, never once letting us down with "badvice" as she liked to call it.

Rosalie was a different story. She was tall, gorgeous, thin, and had long blond hair that waved down to the middle of her back. She was the dietician, giving people from all over tips on what could help lose fat and providing exercises that could help lose weight. Because of her dietician ways, our refridgerator was always stocked with incredibly healthy foods, and some I didn't even want to know what they were. Rosalie could not have been a better person for the job. Ever since she had been assigned that role, she never ate anything unhealthy ever again. Alice and I were forced to hide our junk food t keep her from cracking her two year streak and staying trim and thin for her multiple fans. Her fans included not only women and men who had lost weight and had thinned out because of her, but men (and sometimes women) who thought she was gorgeous, which she was, and sent her love letters on several occassions.

"This better be important, Rose... I wasn't finished getting my pictures for the News article yet!" I shouted into the phone. Photography was a large passion of mine, and I did not like a kodak moment being put to waste by something as insignificant as a meek phone call.

"Bella, you'll go prematurely gray!" She mumbled back and I knew that battle was won--by her. "Besides, no matter how good that article is, which will be very good, considering your work, Eclipse will not care about the otters!" Rosalie would not take any crap from me, that was for sure.

"Looks like someone's in need of some _real _food..." I mumbled to myself, yet fully aware that it was audible enough for her to hear.

"Shut up!" She barked back. I knew I had crossed a line, but that didn't matter. Rosalie wasn't the type to hold grudges.

"Ouch, baby shower or birthday party?" I asked. She sighed back heavily.

"Engagement party. It was horrible! Cupcakes and cookies everywhere! I chugged a bottle of water like it was Vodka!" She complained. "Not to mention the four separate cakes, one with a B and the next A and then B then Y. The cake _spelled out_ baby! How dorky is that?! But it did look good...chocolate cake with ice cream in the middle...not to mention the bright pink frosting and rainbow sprinkles..." I truly felt her pain. I couldn't go one week without junk food. God knows how I stay slim. And healthy, for that matter. I popped cupcakes like they were pills.

"Anyway," She continued on before she lost control of her sense. "Alice and I are going to be home later than we thought. More people than ever need help and more people then ever are fat!" I laughed. Rosalie was always more irritable when she was especially hungry, and it sure showed depending on her mood.

"Alright. I'll probably be asleep by the time you get there because I am whipped." I yawned into the phone. She giggled.

"So I hear. Alright, bye." We both hung up. I climbed into my cherry red jeep and drove home.

About an hour later, I was back in New York City, my home, and had just entered my penthouse apartment that I shared with Rosalie and Alice. The sweet smell of apples filled the apartment as it always did, a sign that Alice had worn her favorite fruity perfume this morning. I smiled at the large apartment and was grateful Rosalie had such wealthy parents that gave her far more money than she needed and treated Alice and I like their own family.

The kitchen had black and white tiled floors, a black marble counter, and creamy white cabinets filled with utensils and kitchen necessities. I took pride in the kitchen, what with it being my favorite room in the apartment besides me own. Cooking was another habit of mine, and I was relieved that Alice and Rosalie couldn't cook to save their lives so I could make every meal. It gave me some dignity. The living room had whitish tan carpets, a red sofa for me, a black one for Rose, and a white chair for Alice. They were all positioned around our flatscreen TV, which was almost constantly on if music of all kind wasn't blaring 24/7.

I stumbled past Rosalie's couch as I walked into my room. My room was pretty plain. It had white walls, because I was too busy to ever put the effort of a paint job in, lime green sheets and a solid lime green bedspread, a dark mohagany desk with my Mac laptop in it, and my closet. Lazily, I kicked off my black high heeled shoes and leave them lay messily by my silver trashbin. I walked over to my laptop and fumbled the wireless mouse. The screen shot up to life. I reached for my camera cord from a drawer in my ornately organized desk. I jammed in the memory card from my camera and popped it into my computer. Instantaneously, pictures popped up, one by one, starting with the trip to the Bahamas Alice, Rosalie and I had ventured to last summer. I smiled as it brought back memories.

As I waited for the pictures I had taken today to load onto my computer, I plugged my iPhone into my green speakers I had gotten for my birthday last year from Alice. I twiddled around with it until I found my playlists. I had many different tastes in music, each one completely different and changed upon my mood. Today seemed like an Alternative day. I poked and prodded a bit until I came across the playlist. Instantaneously, Australia by The Shins was blaring from my speakers. I took the time that the song was playing to change into my more comfortable clothes while singing.

"Born to, born to multiply," I sang off key as I pulled my white blouse over my head and replaced it with a faded blue The Killers concert tee shirt purchased a few months before at a concert of their's. "Born to gaze into, night's sky! All you want's one more Saturday. You keep a'lookin around today, thinkin' about your nice time, so keep a whick in the air and your feet in my fetters..." I continued on off key as an obnoxiously loud beep interrupted my music. I frowned. This meant I had new emails to read. I clicked on the mail icon on my iPhone. The first message was from J. Crew. I deleted it. The next one was from Mike Newton, the doorman at my apartment. He was constantly seeking personal information about me and lookingat me like I was a piece of meat. I shuddered and opened it in case it had something worthwhile inside.

_Dearest Bella_

I shuddered. Dearest Bella? What was I, his grandmother?

_It's been awhile since I've last greeted you. Have you switched your hours of work? Anyway... in the meantime, my job did not seem as worthwhile when I got to see you everyday. Also, in the lack of your presence, I have not been able to talk to you. Hence the question, would you like to go out with me sometime? _

_Love, Mike _

Not only was his letter poorly written, it was incoherent and his sentences were all out of order. I felt bad as I easily saw through his feeble attempts at sounding more intelligent. But at the same time, I didn't feel for him at all. The guy had practically stalked me for the two years I had lived here and never given up no matter how many times I had rejected him (politely, of course). I still never did find out how he knew my social security number...but then again, that's just one of those things I probably don't want to know. I rolled my eyes and deleted the message. I clicked on the next message to see it was from Angela, my boss.

**Dear Bella, **

**Sorry if it is a hassle, but I was hoping you would be able to come to work at seven o'clock sharp tomorrow morning. I have some business to speak with you, Alice, and Rosalie about. Now, please don't jump to conclusions. None of you are being fired or demoted in any way! If anything, you three are some of my best and I wouldn't dream of letting you go. This newspaper has improved and become more popular since the three of you joined; Firing any of you would be a big mistake on my part! It's amazing that the three of you are as close as you are and all share a talent for writing and chose to join OUR newpaper! Anyways, I hope to see you tomorrow morning!**

**Sincerely, **

**Angela Weber**

**P.S. Try to upload the photos you were supposed to take today onto the NYT website as soon as possible. I look forward to seeing what you have done with your photography talents once again. **

Phew. I had been holding my breath through that entire email. I exhaled quickly as I took a few more deep breaths. Though I was no longer worried about the contents of the email, I couldn't help but wonder what Angela had planned for Rosalie, Alice and I. I mean, _everyone _on the New York Times staff knew we were best friends, but whatever she had to talk to us about was ironic that the three of us are all involved in the same scenario. I decided to shake off the bad thoughts and replied to Angela's email.

_Angela, _

_Of course it is not a problem. Alice, Rosalie and I will all be at your desk at seven o'clock sharp, if not before. Though I can't say we'll be very lively...Not including Alice, of course. As for the photos, I just started uploading them and they should be posted and ready for constructive criticism before six. Have a good night!_

_Sincerely, _

_Bella M. Swan_

By the time I finished my email to Angela, my photos were done loading onto my computer. The whole screen was filled with the past thousand photos I had taken recently, some for business, some for pleasure, but mostly for both. I double clicked on a photo I had taken four months before, it was a beautiful sunset reflecting off clear blue water with a sailboat a few feet away from the burning sun. It was incredibly breathtaking, a heavenly bright color on every inch of my screen as I clicked the enlarge button.

The picture had been captured while Rosalie, Alice, and I were in the Bahamas. Alice's parents were rich to say the least, and thought that the three of us could use a getaway for a few weeks, and indeed we did. I closed out of full screen mode and was brought back into the warm essence of the Bahamas as pictures of flowers, the beach, sand, and a few of Rosalie hitting on a Bohemian guy.

It was a game we had made up, where each one of us did something out of the ordinary for us each day, and the others would decide what it would be. Basically the adult version of truth or dare, but without that title. Rosalie's had just happened to be to hit on a Bohemian guy, and I would never let her hear the end of it, so I decided to get some pictures of her F.I.A. (flirting in action) much to her dismay. The dares I had received were pretty tame surprisingly. To hit on the creepy lifeguard at our resort, who was clearly in love with each of us. Every second or two, he would smile and wink at us in a creepy-rapist/molester kind of way. I shuddered at the mere memory.

After I posted the pictures onto the NYT website, I decided to make myself dinner. In the midst of my emailing and uploading, I hadn't realized how hungry I was until my stomach growled louder than a volcanic eruption. I dialed up the local Chinese food store and ordered a full order of shrimp fried rice. Once the delivery boy was here, I paid him his cash and ate the entire dish in less than ten minutes. At that exact moment, Alice and Rosalie walked in.

"Hey guys!" I called from the counter. I was washing the dishes from yesterday morning and from our breakfast this morning.

"Hey..." Rosalie mumbled drowsily.

She walked into the kitchen and dumped her purse on the counter and rested her head in her hands. I looked up at Alice, who was clipping her fingernails in the hallway, trying to avoid the flying nails that neared on her eyes.

"Is she okay, Alice?" I questioned. She held up one free finger while she cut her pinky nail on her left hand. She accidentally cut some of the sensitive skin right by the end of her nail.

"Damn," She mumbled. She looked up at me and walked into the kitchen and sat at the table.

"Bella, Rosalie and I have been talking," She started. "Bells, I've been single since sophomore year of High School. Not that that's bad, but lately Rose and I have been thinking that we feel kinda lonely. I mean, being single has its plusses, but it sure has its minuses, too..." I completely understood what Alice was saying. My last boyfriend, Tyler, had broken my heart right after the Homecoming Dance. It had hurt me so much, I cancelled dating out of my life and didn't want to go back to it.

_Flashback _

_Everything was perfect. The lights above us were dimmed down to perfection, at just the point of romance. My dress was red, strapless and fit like a glove. Not to mention it matched perfectly with the red corsage Tyler had given to me. We were dancing to a slow, mellow song surrounded by many other couples, but none as perfectly put together as us. My hands played with the back of his hair on his neck as his hands rubbed my shoulders between his fingers. Tyler had been feeling sick lately and I completely understood when he had to take a run to the bathroom to take some medicine, which the side effects included frequent diarrhea. _**(A/N: how romantic! tyler taking a dump every three seconds)**

_"Are you enjoying yourself?" I whispered just loud enough for him to hear. _

_He simply smiled back. I noticed something was off. His bright blue eyes weren't sparkling like they usually were when he was with me. In fact, he was looking the other way, intently, and his hands were slightly cold. I smiled back at him, vowing to ask him if everything was alright later. When the song was over, I excused myself to go to the bathroom. _

_I opened the door to the bathroom and heard ecstatic sobs. _

_"I can't believe he broke up with me at HOMECOMING!" A girl screamed in the distance. She was sobbing hysterically. I could hear that there were at least three other girls comforting her._

_"Shh, it's okay. Really. He's not worth it. He'll realize what he's missing soon enough." They cooed as if they actually believed it themselves. Although the hysteric sobbing was a bit much, I couldn't help but feel sorry for the girl. Olivia Brians was her name. She looked beyond gorgeous. Her dark brown hair was in loose curls. Her skin a completely even tan with a midnight blue strapless dress and silver heels. She looked the best I had ever seen her. It was a shame her boyfriend had broken up with her on Homecoming night. Some guys were so heartless. _

_I used the bathroom and as I began to wash my hands, I heard bits of their coversation. _

_"I can't believe he would do that!" She screamed, her previously perfect makeup was now a complete disaster. _

_"Olivia, he's not worth it. He's worthless." Her skinny blond friend told her. _

_"But I loved Tyler! He would never do that!" She continued her whining. Tyler?! Was she talking about _my _boyfriend Tyler?! Perhaps it was a different Tyler. The Tyler Crowley I knew would never be so low as to cheat with someone AND break up with them on the night of Homecoming. Or would he? I mentally asked myself. I gulped. I wasn't sure I wanted to know the answer. Before I freaked myself out, I decided to get the truth straight. _

_"I'm sorry, I just happened to overhear, but did you say Tyler Crowley broke up with you?" I watched her eyes shrink a bit as she continued her sob-fest. _

_"Yeah," She slurred rudely before she began to bawl again. Her friends comforted her some more as I stood there awe-struck. _

_My heart dropped in my stomach. How could he be so low as to cheat on me? I thought our relationship had been perfect. We almost never fought, had the same interests, we were both very kind and smart, so what was the problem? Before tears began to form in my own eyes, I spoke. _

_"I'm sorry to hear. I hope the rest of your night is great." I mumbled halfheartedly. She probably didn't hear me what with all of her hyseric sobbing. _

_I exited the bathroom, grabbed Rosalie and Alice and told them everything, went to Alice's, and started bawling. Alice and Rosalie had comforted me all night long, and I remember crying myself to sleep that entire week. I never again spoke to Tyler Crowley. Never even looked at him of acknowledged his existence. It didn't matter why or how he cheated, it only mattered that he did, and that it was the lowest thing I could ever imagine anyone doing. Ever._

"I know how you feel, Ali, I really do." I comforted her and Rosalie while I continued washing the dishes. I couldn't understand why their single status just now began to cause them loneliness, but it didn't matter. I knew exactly how they felt and understood. Besides, the middle of winter is the time when everyone gets depressed a little, right?

"I just, I don't know," Rosalie spoke up from the counter, her head still rested on her hands. "I always hear Jess at her desk talking about her dates that weekend and I miss that nervous feeling of getting ready for dates and getting all hyped up for a Friday date night or something. Not that I don't enjoy you guys, but I just think we are in a dating rut. This past year has brought us no luck."

"True that!" Alice called from the doorway, holding three apple flavored Jones Sodas, our favorite flavor of our favorite pop. "You'd think that there'd be at least ONE decent guy here in Seattle for each of us, but all of them are duds! Epic fails! Imbeciles! If God is listening, he will send us some men!" Alice wailed on as Rosalie and I cracked up. She looked at us. "I mean it! We can't mope or feel bad about being able to check out every man that walks by like we just were! I won't let myself complain about my singleness ever again, or either of you! We need to embrace our singleness and just think of it as a...hmmm..."

"A dating rut," I finished her sentence. Alice whipped her head my way with her eyes wide.

"Yes! Bella! Let it out! More!" She grinned at me and stood on a stool that, despite its height, still made her look very short.

"A fork in the road. A crack in the pavement. A bend in a line. " I recited as we all lifted our green Jones and clinked them together in a toast. "Here's to being single, gorgeous, and LOVING it!"

We all took big sips from our bottles and played some music while making a list of all the best things about being single. I was surprised that Alice was able to bounce back from such depression so quickly, but that's her. Energetic, lively, the energizer bunny but adorable.

"Not having to look good all the time!" Rosalie yelled out. After an hour, we were still thinking of ways that being single was the best. Alice scribbled it onto yet another piece of paper. Namely the fourth piece we had filled with positives of being single. After some chick flicks and popcorn, I passed on the information Angela asked me to tell them and we all headed to bed.

I laid in bed and tossed and turned. I turned to face the clock again. 11:26. For some reason, I couldn't seem to shake off the anxiety of what Angela's little surprise was. If it was even little at all. Of course, the note _had_ said that it wasn't anything bad. But the fact that she couldn't say what it was in the email made me worry. How come _I'm_ the one that's worrying? I decided to drop the topic from my head and played some music to help me get to sleep and pulled over my iPhone and speakers. Instantaneously, Nightvision by Daft Punk was playing at a low volume, the _Lubb-Dubb _very soothing and just enough to have me asleep in seconds.

**_Ya like it? I hope so! It's a little over 4,500 words long, my longest chapter in the history of fanfiction! Beating out my previous record of 2,093...how pathetic! I've grown so much as a writer, and I want to thank all of you for reading my stories! Now, this story now is my main priority. HSS won't be updated for some time now, seeing as I do not have a plan for it, and Love Story will not be updated for a while either for the same reason. This story, however, has a plan--a GREAT one, at that--and is so much more fun to write! Now, are ya curious about Angela's surprise? Hehe, you should be! So lately, I've been a little sad, so I;m sorry if the last bit of the story was poorly written. My absolute best friend is in Greece until early May and she is practically my second half! So without her, I'm half a person and lonely without my best friend. Two months is a long time for me! Yes, I know that some of you out there are thinking that it's not very long, but I'm younger than you may think......care to take a guess? Haha, please do, i want to see how old you guys really think I am! Thanks to all for reading. Hugs and kisses!_**


	2. Chapter 2

_Beep! _My eyes shot open wide. My blood was pumping pure adrenaline through my veins. My arms, legs, and face were all covered in a light sheen of sweat. I was breathing heavily, nearly on the verge of hyperventilation. I darted my eyes back and forth from my room nervously. My chest rose and fell with each deep breath I took. My heart was racing a mile a minute. I clamped my hand over my heart and felt its panicky pace and felt myself breathing harder. The _thud-thud _rang in my ears as I felt how warm it felt in my room. I slowly sat up in my bed, not bothering to turn the lights on. My sweaty legs slipped and stuck to my satin sheets disgustingly, but I didn't mind. I was so nervous it was unbearable. I scanned the darkness, glaring it down and using my squinting eyes as a weapon. It seemed harmless, simply an effect of the early morning, but I still felt tense, nervous, and my heart was beating off the wall. I lowered my foot slowly, the tip of my toenails barely skimming the uppermost layer of fuzz on the tippy top of the carpet. Holding my breath, I placed one foot down, then another. Soon, I was walking. _Wow Bella_ I thought to myself, _this isn't truly pathetic or stupid at all. _

Suddenly a thought occured to me. Why the _hell _was I so jumpy? I felt my pulse lower as I calmed down. I laughed at the thought of my spazzing out less than a minute ago. But really, what was the cause of this? Maybe Alice was right, we DO need to find some guys sometime. Maybe all this freaking out is just symptoms of withdrawal...from...guys? No. That's not like me. Possible PMS? _Im_possible. My cycle ended last Sunday. So what else would make me freak out so much? _Had I had a bad dream or what?_ I couldn't think of a logical reason why I woke up so scared over nothing. At least, nothing so far...

Before I could stop them, images of Michael Meyers and Jason Voorhees tumbling out of my shower curtain sprung into my mind, raising my heartrate a little bit. My eyes averted to the Louisville slugger in my closet. Maybe I should grab it, just in case. Wait, no! Fictional characters, Bella, f-i-c-t-i-o-n-a-l characters! I felt just like a little kid again, scared of the monsters in their closet. _Really, Bella? REALLY?! _I thought again, to myself. _First, it's the darkness that scares you. Then some horror movies that scared you when you were fourteen. Yeah, good one. And now you're talking to yourself...let's not get into a habit of this..._

I climbed out of bed and walked out of the hall towards the bathroom. Right as my hand touched the doorknob, I suddenly turned around for no reason. First my hair hit me in the forehead as an effect of turning around so fast. Everything looked fine. What I could see of the living room, what with the door in the way, looked fine, the flatscreen TV as clean as ever, the ornate pillows on the couch untouched. I averted my glance to the kitchen, which was exactly as we had left it last night-popcorn bowls filling the sink, small green soda stains evident on the counter, begging for me to clean them up. After promising myself that I would pick them up later, I glanced at everything else in our apartment. It all looked great, but for some reason, I felt a bit depressed as I looked over the entirety of it. Though dark and a bit gloomy hence the morning hour, something seemed different. Sadness crashed through me roughly and I couldn't tell why. I felt as if I were seeing my belongings and such for the very last time, or watching them get taken away from me.

This feeling of sadness with no explanation confused me. If I ever felt a certain emotion, I sure knew why! If I were happy or sad, mad or irritated, I at least had a reason for it. Under these circumstances, I really didn't have a reason to be sad, so I chose to ignore it. Besides, usually Alice is the one who gets these sorts of premonitions. Oh my god, Alice!

I had completely forgotten to wake them up! Alarm clocks never worked very well for her, or Rosalie for that matter. Each time the alarm would sound, they would angrily swear, waking up the entire floor, or just break it then and there. So, I don't know whose stupid decision it was, but it was decided that I would be the one to awake everyone. Not that I was any better than the alarm clock. Much more breakable, louder, able to fight back to their morning nags, but no. Alarm clocks aren't their "thing."

I ran down the hallway quickly, despite my low amount of energy in the early hour of five thirty. I rounded the door of Alice's room, saving the cranky morning snob named Rosalie for last. I stepped on something sharp but small that stuck to my foot as I rounded the corner of Alice's room. I ignored the stinging pain and proceeded inside. As I swung into the doorway, I felt a small, hard object bound against me and crash to the floor loudly. My hand searched for a light switch, seeing an electric blue shock strike my index finger when I reached the outlet and turned the light on. "Ouch, damn it!" I whispered. Finally, my fingers found the switch and flipped it on, only to have my eyes squinted by the blinding light moments later.

I looked down on the ground to see the hard object that crashed to the ground, hoping I didn't break it, whatever it was. It was none other than Alice, laying cross eyed on her rug, mumbling. Just the sight was enough to have me holding in a hysterical laugh.

"Alice, are you okay? I'm so sorry..." I rambled on. "Please...don't be mad, do you need some ice? I'm so sorry!"

But before she could answer, another voice did. "She's fine," I looked over to see Rosalie standing in the doorway in her robe. "And you better be sorry for waking me up my a crash, thud, and...oh god, what time is it anyway??" Her eyes were squinted and she reminded me of a mole. She reached for her watch and her mole-like eyes bulged out of their sockets.

"5:30?! Bella, what the hell?! Do you have a date you forgot to mention?" She was clearly kidding. Our dating rut was stated quite evidently last night.

"Very funny," I said. "I haven't had a date since Connor in High School." I laughed and remembered the awkwardness of my clear crush on him and his disinterest in me.

Rosalie cackled. "And he was making out with _Jessica _the next day! Priceless." I stuck my tongue out at her childishly.

"It sure wasn't funny at the time!" I defended, despite the fact that it was hilarious. "I really liked him! You know you had a thing for Eric, too, Miss Hale..."

Rosalie blushed. Her crush on Eric was a misplaced affection at best. He was a nerd. A BIG nerd. A strange, slightly cute nerd that never took an interest in girls, even the gorgeous Rosalie. Never. She must have assumed he wasn't sane for not noticing her charms, thus the strange attraction, hence him being the only male not trying to go out of his way for attention? Who knows. All I know is that she desperately wasnted him to like her, love her even. Not a glance, a note, even a date to a dance! We never knew why she liked him for such a short period of time, but she still did, and that gave us a chance to mock her for her High School career. And beyond.

"Was it his 'hard to get' charm that caught your eye? Or his love for mythical fantasy creatures?" I asked in a tone dripping with sarcasm.

"Shut. Up. There was no one else in High School worth going for! Less than one hundred and fifty boys that were mostly disgusting messes with your mind, Bella! It kills your brain and makes you hallucinate the ugly guys into hot ones!" She said as-a-matter-of-factly. Even at the crack of dawn, Rosalie was an apparition. Her blond hair was waved perfectly, her flawless skin glowing against her aqua blue eyes, which were squinted due to the brightness of the lights.

"Speaking of hallucinations...." Little Alice mumbled from the floor, still cross eyed. I couldn't help but laugh at the sight of Alice laying dizzily on the ground but helped her up anyway.

"Alright, I think we've had enough scares this morning, so I'm going to claim the shower now." I took off towards the shower and hopped straight in. After a good half hour of hot, steaming water relax my tense muscles and mind, I finished my hair and makeup and was on my way to picking out ym clothes.

I stood in my room with only a bra and underwear on, peering through my closet for the perfect outfit for whatever it was Angela wanted to discuss with us that morning. Bad news, good news, no matter what, we had to look good. What if we ran into some guys along the way? Oh, what am I thinking? I don't need a guy to complete my life...definitely not. I'm turning into a teenage girl again...

I reached out for a Tiffany box blue blouse, white pumps, and a white pencil skirt, hanging them by one another to test their compatability as an outfit. I chuckled silently as to how strange I must have sounded in my mind. Suddenly, my door burst open. I covered myself awkwardly out of habit. Alice poked her small little body in.

"Cute outfit," she stated. "but with this necklace it'll be gorgeous." She handed me a pearl necklace with gold chains in between. It was beautiful.

"Tha-" I started, only to be cut off.

"Not finished!" The little pixie shouted. "I'll add some more eyeliner, a gold bracelet, cream colored eyeshadow, and some clear gloss. Sound good?" Alice questioned but clearly didn't want to hear my answer. She walked partway out the door before stopping herself.

"Oh, and Bella?"

"Yes?"

"There's no need to be shy, I've seen you in a bathing suit before." She smiled genuinely and closed the door, ignoring my blush at her comment. I did as she told me too and we were off to work in no time.

ALICE POV

As soon as we walked in the office, the doorman immediately greeted Bella. She rolled her eyes when she saw him, murmured a, "good morning", and followed behind us at a rather quick pace for someone who can't balance well in heels. I meant to ask her why she was so rude with him, but from the look on his face when he saw her, there was no way he liked her for her personality. And ever since our little girls' night last night, Bella had seemed a little down, mainly because it was brought to her attention that none of us have been on a date in years. I would've been a little more strict with her this morning, but she seemed a little tense about something and sad about the fact that we are all single women.

Which also mad me think, why settle with our singleness and continue to go to work and come back home day after neverending day unhappy? At twenty four years of age, each and every one of us should be flaunting our beauty, enjoying the prime of our lives. From here on out, we're only getting older. Old. Simply the word brought a mental image of myself with gray roots, laugh lines, and yellowing teeth. I shuddered. Why hide our beauty in offices when there are wonderful, gorgeous, great single men roaming the streets looking for someone to love? There's not a single reason why. Maybe we've been working a little _too _hard. I don't see why we're wasting our best years complaining about never going on dates, or never having enough time to go out for once. The girls and I will have to have a talk about this.

"Hi, Angela!" I welcomed my boss with a welcoming hug as we stepped into her minty fresh scented room. "It's so nice to see you. We've been a little curious about this meeting, I must admit."

Angela hardly seemed like a boss. She was less than five feet tall, always smiling, and very understanding with everyone. But then again, so am I, and I'm not exactly one to sit back and let everyone slack off. Not that we do.

"Hello, girls. I'm excited to present this news to you, as well. So, I'm just going to cut straight to the chase." She took an agonizingly long moment to get comfortable in her chair.

"Frankly, you girls are what keeps this newspaper alive. Your articles, advice, and pictures are all beyond amazing and we couldn't be happier to have you all here. Not to mention that they are always a must-read of the paper for the consumers. But what I have noticed with everyone in particular, not just you three, is that some of the articles are falling flat. A fork in the road," I chuckled silently, remembering our night last night, then also remembering my sad, sad, singleness. "And I think that you have what we need to bring it back up. If you accept our offer."

A moment of silence killed my aching head. From the sound of it, we would either be given a hell of a raise or better. Angela's lips were moving slowly. Very slowly. Her mouth was opening. The tips of her white teeth blinded me as she started to form a word. I swear if she says something about 'enthusiasm' or 'pride in our jobs' I will quit. Well, not quite. But anyway, back to Angela.

"Europe." Was all she said as she let it sink into our fully developed brains.

Europe.

Europe?

EUROPE?!

The country I've been dreaming of since childhood?

This couldn't be real.

No way.

Going to EUROPE to write my advice column? YES!!!!

This could also mean that if we work hard enough, we could have lots of extra time for ourselves, meaning one thing.....

Hot. European. Guys. And LOTS of them! This could be everything we were complaining about last night. Everything that was missing from our lives. Guys, time, a new change in scenery...

I looked over at Bella and Rosalie.

Bella was twirling a bobbypin through her fingers, a look of shock and awe written on her face. Her brown eyes seemed darker, as though the shadows of her eyelids were hovering on the surface of the iris, a squint of thought and consideration opening her mouth to draw a breath. She inhaled, exhaled, then repeated. I couldn't tell if she was excited, having an athsma attack, or whatever is going on in her brain.

I looked over at Rosalie. She looked back at me. Then to Bella, as if either of us were questioning the journey. I, for one, wasn't, but by the look in Bella's eyes, you would've thought she was choosing who to marry-Christian Bale, or Matthew Mconaughey?

"Well, I sure as hell accept!" Rosalie spoke, her blue eyes, looking green due to her lime green cashmere sweater, were wide with the excitement of a kid in a candy store.

"I second that notion!" I raised my hand like a giddy schoolgirl that knew the answer to hard question and was trying to impress the cute guy next to her.

Angela smiled. "Well, I at least know that two of you are interested. Bella? Would you like a say?"

Bella snapped back into reality.

"Of course, I, I'd _love _to go, but before I totally agree to this, I have to know more information. Y'know, where we're going, what we'll do, how long we'll be there, certain things like that." She smiled awkwardly yet genuinely, but her eyes told us otherwise.

"I understand completely," Angela reassured. "In fact, I was getting to that. By the end of this week, you will have a list of places you will be traveling to, sights you'll see, events you'll cover, and plenty of other information. By next week I will expect an answer, though by the looks on your faces, I can tell it's an offer you wouldn't give up for the world. Thanks for coming in early." And with that, we left her office and started towards our cubicles. Once completely out of earshot of Angela, I whispered to Bella.

"Are you okay? You looked like Angela was trying to kill you or something! What's up with you?" I questioned.

Bella looked hesitant. "Oh, that, um, I'll tell you later at home. It's, it's nothing, really. Um, uh, bye now."

I sighed. This will be a loooooong trip.

_hey guys,_

_sorry this chapter is shorter than the other one. it's a bit of a filler and just sets the plot into place. i'm having a bit of a writer's block and wasn't in the mood to write for awhile. and the reviews have been nice, but less than TEN. see, those of you who write stories probably understand that receiving a low amount of reviews is almost like an insult. it sends a message that the story isnt worth reading and doesn't deserve praise. not that i'm accusing you guys, but just keep that in mind. alright, i promise the next chapter will be better, longer, and cooler. lol. chao for now. _


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys! sorry it's taken me so long to update. ff is knd of like my little secret, so it's a rarity when i'm home alone and can type. thanks for sticking with me! translations are in bold, unitalicized. **

**ROSALIE POV**

Bella's sudden strange vibe to her took Alice and me aback. At the mention of Europe, I think anyone would accept the offer. Alice and I sure as hell did. As we gazed over at Bella, expecting to see her dark brown eyes flicker in excitement, only to receive an eye twitch or two. We figured Bella of all people could use a break from New York City. Especially after last night.

I'd never, in all the years I'd known Bella, seen her open up besides that one night that Tyler the Tool, his nickname Bella never got wind of, played her and many other girls at their senior prom. It's like walking into someone's lush, beautifully perfect wedding and lowering a Manolo Blahnik heel onto each ornately precious petal, slicing through them carelessly and painfully, like he did to Bella's heart. But, of course, he wasn't wearing high heels. Though Bella didn't open up much, guys have _never _been a topic of discussion that she takes part in. What's on her mind is most commonly somewhere among the lines of work, a grocery list, recent news, article ideas, and so many more that make her forget more and more about making herself happy. And ever since that one little insignificant relationship with Tyler, Bella seemed to think that all men are, in fact, tools. That they are all exactly like Tyler and are rude and pigheaded. We need to prove her wrong, and now!

Which gets me to thinking that what Bella needs right now is a boyfriend! Perfect. Everyone else seems happier with a significant other, right? Why not Bella? I'd feel horrid if I kept Bella from flaunting her goods while she has them rather than hiding her behind a laptop in a cubicle. After all, why waste our best years working when we could be enjoying life?

A plan was forming in my head as I thought more and more about a plan to find Bella a nice guy.

Eharmony? No way. Lame and desperate.

Blind dates? Eek. We don't even know any guys to pair even ourselves up with.

Multiple thoughts ran through my head as I sat in my desk. I rested my feet up in their regular spot on my black desk, shown by two white streaks on the table from the high heels I always wear and place in the exact same spot every day.

I thought of past experiences of mine with boyfriends. Oh, the memories shot into my head faster than I could help it. The good, the bad, and the ugly. Three cheers for the overdramatic, over-the-top, teenage years.

_Rosalie's first boyfriend, Tom (14 years old, 8th grade) **(AN: Bella came to their school in ninth grade)**_

_I opened the heavy wooden door to my homeroom class, Mrs. Wood. My blond hair was pin straight and my outfit was perfect, but, like any other day, I was late to class. As I stepped in, every eye in the class turned my way for two reasons. _

_One, I was the most gorgeous girl in the grade. Every girl wanted to be my best friend, every guy wanted to be more than friends. I had beautiful blond hair that ran to the middle of my back and was the exact golden shade that everyone knew me by. I was skinny, but not a stick. I was the perfect size, with perfectly smooth skin, and makeup done to perfection. I was the epitome of beauty, and I sure as hell knew it. My red and white horizontal striped baggy sweater was designer and baggier than anyone elses, a sign that I _was _the best and it accentuated the faded blue size 00 skinny jeans that fit me perfectly. My tote bag had the face of Audrey Hepburn on the side, everyone's favorite beauty queen. I slowed my walk to a window shopper's as everyone took in my sheer beauty and the perfect accessories of my outfit. I was scared of nothing and no one. _

_Two, I was late. _

_"It's great you could join us here, Miss Hale. Really, don't feel the need to rush to your seat, please do walk a little slower." Mrs. Wood hated me. The hag always called me out on things I didn't do and "accidentally" lost my assignments that I always turned in. I hated her and she hated me. It was obvious._

_Mrs. Wood was in her late 40's and was a bit overweight for her age. She wore the rattiest clothes and was obviously not the richest girl in the world. Her thick glasses screamed 'Target' and her makeup (or lack thereof) did absolutely nothing to hide the bags under her eyes or the wrinkles and creases in her skin. Naturally, she hated any girl that was fit, pretty, and all around better than her for any reason, which made me her number one target. Plus, I always mouthed off to her, so she hated me with a passion. _

_"Thanks, Mrs. Wood, I think I will," I replied. "After all, if I walk any faster, I'd be losing more calories in two seconds than you would in two years." I said it like it was so innocent and sweet, but I added just enough sourness to the burn. _

_Her mouth dropped. Her cheeks flushed red and she stood up from behind her desk. _

_"For your information, my calorie intake is none of your business, and if you are planning on playing this little game with me, then you better watch out, because I will come in from behind and you won't even realize what happened." She was inches from my face, trying to be insulting. I said nothing, simply building the suspense of my fellow classmates. _

_"Is this too much for you to take in at once? Is this too hard for you?" Mrs. Wood asked rudely. I grinned. _

_I looked her right in the eye and said it. "That's what she said." And with, that, I sat down. _

_Mrs. Wood blushed dark red. _

_"Principal's office, now!"_

_I grinned, pushed my chair out from my desk, and was on my way._

_My strides were long and strong with my pride as I left the class being applauded. I stepped on some unknown substances with my red Converse shoes, but didn't care. As a complete badass middle schooler of the 90's, caring wasn't on my agenda. Well, besides my grades, which were always straight A's. I pulled open the door to the principal's office and sat down. I looked at the long line ahead of me. Some random seventh graders, a few eighth grade perverts, and the guy right behind me, Tom. _

_He was the star of the lacrosse team, had the greenest eyes in the world, and was absolutely gorgeous. Not to mention that he played the guitar. He was smart, funny, and usually stayed out of trouble. He was in my second, third, and fourth hour classes, so he undoubtedly knew who I was. I inched closer to him on the seat and pulled out my mirror to check my makeup and hair, and "accidentally" reflecting the light from the room onto his face for a brief second while I adjusted the mirror and shined it into his eye for just more than a millisecond. _

_He turned my way and I pretended not to notice as I flipped my hair centimeters from him, flipped down the mirror, and sat back with a sigh. I had to fight the urge not to grin when he turned and stared at me, thinking I didn't know. _

_"So what'd you do this time, Hale?" He asked with a toothy grin, his perfectly white teeth blinding me. _

_"You know, picked on Mrs. Wood a little, belittled her, and said some things I shouldn't have, the usual. And you?" I made a show of using my aqua blue eyes to tell the story, daring myself to stare directly into his eyes. It took him a second to respond, my direct eye contact distracting him from our conversation. _

_This was one of my favorite tricks. Direct eye contact works ninety five percent of the time--as long as you stay in focus. Looking into the exact center of their pupils catches them off guard and forces them to either look away shyly, easing your nerves, or look into your eyes the same way. Plus, it brought attention to my gorgeous eyes. _

_"Uhh, I, uh, mouthed off to Mr. Green. Oops." He chuckled. I smiled back. I looked up to make sure that both the secretaries were gone, leaving a roomful of kids with no supervision. Perfect. _

_"How can you not? He pretty much takes his anger out on students just because he's fat." I rolled my eyes for effect. _

_That comment wasn't even a joke. Mr. Green was the epitome of fat. His head alone was drooping with fat, and he was not exactly the skinniest in other areas. His arms had fatrolls, his legs full of spider vains and a nice pair of severe kankles to worsen his look. He was always unhappy, and, shockingly similar to Mrs. Wood, he seemed to dislike skinny students and praised the larger students. _

_Tom laughed. "You noticed that too? His gut's bigger than I am." He chuckled once again, easing my slight nerves that I would never admit to having. _

_"Exactly. It's like he ate a globe." I had to try not to laugh at my own joke like a dork. But once Tom started, I couldn't stop. His laugh was like bells that echoed across his beautiful teeth, so perfect, so fine. So definitely mine. _

_"So what have you been up to lately? I haven't really talked to you much this year." I lengthened the conversation purposely. _

_"Well, not too much," Tom started. "I've been pretty busy with lacrosse, listening to music, studying French, a little song writing on the side. What about you?" What a perfect guy. Athletic, can sing, can...speak French? French is hot...right? _

_"Oh, you speak French?" I asked. I blinked three times, batting my lashes subtly. _

_"Well, only a little," he looked straight ahead while he spoke. "my family and I are traveling to Europe this summer and I've been learning a little here and there to be able to communicate, you know?"_

_"Oh, I understand," I said immediately, responding too soon. "do you know what "Tu as de beaux yeux"means?" I said, taking a risk and flirting like crazy._

**(this means "you have lovely eyes")**

_He blushed and looked away. "I, uh, I don't think I know that one, 'cause, uh, tu is you, and, uh, yeah, umm..." he was clearly nervous. It was so adorable. _

_I scooted a little closer to him. "I'll work it out with you...you tu right, as de means have..." I was getting closer to him slowly, as he was to me. I talked slower and slower with each word. _

_"Beaux is lovely..." My face was inches from his. We stared into each other's eyes. He didn't look as nervous as he did a moment earlier, but there was still a trace of anxiety evident in his face. _

_"And yeux is eyes..." he finished confidently. "I could say the same to you, too, Hale." He brought his face closer to mine. I wanted to lean in and kiss him, but I absolutely couldn't if the plan was going to work out how it was supposed to. I had to stop him, and NOW. _

_"Oh, sorry, hold on a sec." I pulled out my phone and pretended to reply to a text from my best friend, Alice. He pulled back and blushed adorably. I felt horrible. He thought I was leading him on, but I most definitely wasn't. I held my phone right in front of me with the text enlarged so that Tom could easily read it. _

_**To: Alice C**_

**_ugh, you can't hang on friday? that sucks :( i guess that leaves me with no plans. _**

_I hit send and closed my phone, not allowing any lingering time, but making sure that Tom saw that I had no plans for Friday. _

_"So, uh, where were we, Tom?" I asked again, letting him know I wasn't playing with his heart. _

_"So, um, are you doing anything Friday?" Tom asked nervously while fidgeting. I crossed my thin legs and flipped my hair very subtly. _

_"As a matter of fact, I'm not. Why?" I tilted my head a little, noticing that it was just Tom and I in the room. When did everyone else leave??_

_"Well, I was just wondering if, uh, you wanted to see a movie or something?" He looked down while he asked. He was unbelievably adorable when he was nervous. _

_"I'd love to! Do you want me to invite Alice, too, maybe?" I waited anxiously for his answer, hoping for the right one. _

_"Well, I was thinking it could just be you and me...?" He sounded nervous. Yes! The right answer indeed. He definitely liked me. _

_"That sounds perfect, I'll see you then." And with that, I leaned in and kissed him, his cool breath tasting delicious, but I had to pull away so I could leave something for Friday night. _

_I whispered in his ear before I left. "Je taime." (_**I love you**)

_I smiled as I saw him drop his jaw with shock and amazement as I walked into the principal's office, watching his grin widen. Friday night with my first boyfriend, Tom, would be a night to remember. _

_**_

I laughed at the memory of my first boyfriend, Tom, gorgeous and so, so sweet. The first of many. The first three months of our relationship were amazing, I remember. But when his dad had to move for his job, everything changed. I remember crying myself to sleep when he moved, because we had to break things off because of the distance. I'll never forget my first boyfriend.

I shook my head and laughed at how over the top and crazy I was as a teenager. I love you? In French? At age fourteen? Damn was I daring.

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